Conveyors have long been utilized to handle large quantities of bulk material and convey that material from one point to another point. Vertical lift conveyor systems of a type utilized in mining operations that extend through a vertical conveyor shaft are also well known. Such vertical conveyor systems incorporate a framework including a head frame for holding and supporting a drive pulley and a base frame for holding and supporting various pulleys that engage and support a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is equipped with various sidewalls, cleat bases and cleats to hold the material during vertical conveyance from a lower level of the conveyor shaft to an upper level of the conveyor shaft or the surface above the mine.
The conveyor belts utilized in vertical conveyor systems typically weigh up to 60 kg/m or more. Accordingly, a continuous belt of approximately 700 m in length can weigh up to 42,000 kg or more. Together, the weight of the belt, the weight of the material to be conveyed by the belt and the horsepower of the drive system for the conveyor conspire to place design limits on the effective length to which any operational single lift conveyor system may be constructed.
Many mines requiring vertical lift conveyor systems are of a depth greater than the fullest length that any individual vertical lift conveyor may be constructed. Accordingly, a multiple lift vertical conveyor system must be utilized at these sites to provide the necessary conveyance function. The present invention relates to a novel method of installing such a multi-lift, vertical conveyor system in a conveyor shaft.